Powers That Be
by wondertross
Summary: Mutant X faces a new mutant, friend or foe? Jesse centric. chapter 5 up.
1. Default Chapter

Title:  
Author's Note: This is my first Mutant X fic. I'm writing a couple other fanfic stories at the moment, plus readying to move for college, so it may take me a while between updates, but I almost always update, unless you all, you know, hate it.   
Disclaimer: I don't own em, cept for my OC, Max.  
  
~*~  
  
"be careful," Adam's voice cautioned from the other end of Jesse's comm. "There are GS agents crawling all over this place."  
  
Kilmartin grinned. "Aren't we always?" he responded jokingly.  
  
"No," Adam returned dryly. "And that's what worries me. Just go, find the new mutant and get out of there before all of the GSA catches wind of you.  
  
"We can handle it, don't worry." Brennan assured the older man fro the seat across from Jesse, all the while well aware that telling Adam not to worry was like telling a PO'ed pit bull to stay. It just didn't work.  
  
"Anyone else feel the testosterone in here just jump?" The blonde Shalimar queried, one eyebrow shooting up into her hairline.  
  
"You say it like it's a bad thing," Brennan said as they landed their craft and made their way for the exits.  
  
"Well sure, it's fine if you're not the one being suffocated by it. personally, I'm with Shal."  
  
Brennan nudged Jesse with his elbow. "Women, always stick together." with that, he and Jesse burst out in raucous laughter, while Emma and Shalimar simply rolled their eyes. Their light hearted teasing ended however, as they neared the door to the warehouse. Shal motioned with one finger to the roof before quickly scaling the brick sided building. Emma positioned herself just behind the other two as Brennan and Jesse led the way through the double doors.  
  
Upon entering the main floor they were met by the sight of seven GS agents. They had a girl, a dark blonde, surrounded, each of them eyeing the box lying at her feet. the new mutant stood her ground, not giving the slightest indication that she would give up without a fight.  
  
"Hey!" Brennan shouted. "Mind if we even the odds a little?" Electric current sparked from his fingertips, drawing the attention of several agents. The moment he threw the first bolt, Shalimar dropped from the roof, landing squarely atop the shoulders of one startled agent. Jesse and Emma both rushed forward into the fray. The new mutant used the distraction well, landing a well delivered roundhouse kick to the head of the agent nearest to her. Her eyes were wild, moving quickly amongst the people in the building.  
  
Emma focused on the girl. She was unsure, scared, and....annoyed? She didn't have time to ponder it as the girl quickly spun and high tailed it out the back. Emma considered the situatin briefly. The others had the GS agents well in hand, though one had grabbed the box the girl had been standing over and was getting away, but Emma was more concerned with the girl than the box. Adam hadn't mentioned anything special about a box. With a small sigh, she darted after the girl.  
  
Jesse blocked the man's side kick, taking it in a glancing blow off his hip. he grabbed the man's ankle and pushed him away, off balance. He saw Emma rush after the new mutant from the corner of his eye. He sensed the agent regaining his step and phased, taking odd satisfaction in the bitter scream of the man clutching his now broken hand. he laid him flat with a sharp left hook. Brennan and Shal were just toying with the last two agents now, so he took off after Emma.  
  
--  
  
Emma rounded a corner of the building and found herself standing between the new mutant and the only way out of an alley. The girl found herself facing a wall and spun on her heel, raising her fists in a defensive posture. "It's okay," Emma said soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"Yeah well, I'm not gonna give you that same guarantee," she snipped. "Get out of my way."  
  
Emma held up her hands. "Wait. We just want to talk to you."  
  
"I'm not feeling terribly conversational at the moment honey. So move." On first glance Emma had thought her a mere girl, perhaps no older than eighteen, but on further inspection she figured her age at closer to her own. A shock of hair fell across her face, but there was no mistaking the deliberate intent in her eyes. Her eyes were a stormy gray, a jagged scar moving down across her eyebrow to just above her cheekbone.  
  
"You have to come with me."  
  
"I don't have to do shit." The girl barged forward with a jumping side kick, surprising Emma just enough so she couldn't block or counter. Emma involuntarily clutched at her stomach and sucked in a quick breath.  
  
"That's how you want to play this, fine. I tried to be nice first." Emma brought her hands up, wishing, and not for the first time, that hers was a more active power, like Brennan or Shal's. She and the other mutant circled one another slowly. Emma attacked first with a sharp jab that the blonde ducked. Then she tried her luck with a front kick. It wasn't the best idea. The new mutant grasped Emma's ankle firmly and launched her, sending Emma flipping head over heels.  
  
She landed hard on the pavement, scraping the heels of her palms on the asphalt. She didn't even have time to get up before the other girl was on her, sitting squarely on her chest with both knees. Emma grunted.   
  
The girl swiped at her hair, grinning widely. She shrugged. "Better luck next time girlie." Then she cocked back her fist and smashed it into Emma's face. The brunette slumped, unconscious. The new mutant was just climbing off her chest when Jesse burst out into the alley. "You must be joking," the girl mumbled to herself.  
  
Jesse's features stiffened when he saw Emma lying still on the ground. His lip curled in distaste and his eyes flashed. The girl watched him. She saw the way the muscles in his back tensed, the way his hands fisted, the way he bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, ready for anything. It wouldn't be so easy to beat this one.   
  
Her hands dropped to her sides and she sighed deeply. "What did you do to Emma?" he demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry. I thought she was one of them. I didn't even realize....I just...reacted," she raced through the words fast enough to stumble over one or two. Convincing, she thought to herself. "I just was trying to get away. But you're not like them are you?"  
  
Emma's chest rode and fell evenly, a comforting sign. It was possible, he reasoned, that the girl had just been scared. But then, it usually took a lot more than someone 'scared' to take down a member of Mutant X. It took someone with training, someone lethal. but Emma was alive, testament enough that this girl was at least not the latter. He relaxed just a little. "Who are you?" he asked, taking another few cautious steps closer.  
  
"Max," the girl replied. "You?"  
  
"Jesse Kilmartin. I'm a new mutant too." He needed to get to Emma, but he had to get by the girl to do it, and he didn't want her trying anything rash. He held out his hand. "I can explain everything later, but right now...."  
  
"Right. Sorry." Max grasped Jesse's hand in a firm shake even as she stepped away from Emma. But she didn't let go. Jesse's eyes flicked back to the girl, who was once again grinning. Suddenly he realized his arm felt warm, a slight tingling rushing up it. Her hand was glowing. he tried to pull away, but couldn't. The tingling reached his ears, whereupon it became a full blown buzz. The alley started to spin. Dark spots swam in front of his eyes. Then he was falling straight into darkness.  
  
--  
  
"Jesse?" A soft voice questioned from a distance. The voice was distinctly female, but he couldn't quite distinguish who. "Jesse?" There it was again. Was he dreaming? He suddenly found it more than irritating that he was having a dream where he could only hear, but not see anything. "Jesse, can you hear me?" Shal, that was definitely Shal.   
  
Adam, and the other three members of Mutant X exchanged glances. At least he was finally coming out of it. Jesse's lips parted slightly, and a low groan filled the room. Shal leaned over her friend and touched his arm. "Jesse, can you hear me?" she asked again.  
  
It was bright, too damn bright. He wasn't all too keen on opening his eyes when it was this bright. Besides, it wasn't fair to have this much of a headache when he wasn't even awake yet. he blinked slowly. Four concerned, blurry faces suddenly came view, slowly sliding back toward focus. "What happened?" he finally managed to grumble.  
  
Brennan grinned. "He speaks! He'll live. Had us worried there for a while buddy."  
  
"Why? How long have I been out?" He blinked again, giving his head a small shake to clear the cobwebs. This was definitely not an alley. How had he gotten back to Sanctuary?  
  
"A little more than 24 hours," Adam informed him.  
  
"A day? A whole day? You're not serious." Adam's face remained passive. "Okay, maybe you are serious. SO I repeat, what exactly happened?"  
  
Shalimar shrugged. "We were hoping you could tell us. Brennan and I found you and Emma knocked out in the alley behind the warehouse. We brought you both back here."  
  
"Oh my God Emma! Is she okay?" Jesse sat up hurriedly and immediately wished he hadn't as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut, dropping his chin to his chest and willing away the urge to wretch.  
  
"I'm fine Jesse," Emma soothed.   
  
He turned to face her. She looked basically normal, if one simply discounted the brilliant black eye she sported on the left side of her face. He winced in sympathy. "Ouch."  
  
"Looks worse than it feels. I'm more worried about you. You don't remember anything?"  
  
"Max. Her name was Max, but that all I can really remember right now."  
  
Adam gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Okay, just relax. It doesn't really matter. We should get the test results back soon. For right now, just rest. So everybody out."  
  
--  
  
Two days later Jesse was up and about, acting as if nothing had ever happened. He and Brennan were in the simulator, practicing against the holographic GS agents. He was no longer dizzy or nauseous, blocking, kicking and punching just like always.  
  
"You don't seem to be suffering any ill effects," Brennan commented after Jesse blocked a particularly quick series of attacks from the hologram.  
  
He shrugged. "Guess not. I just wish I knew what she hit me with is all. It's weird to just lose a day."  
  
"Uh huh. Heads up," his fried warned.  
  
Jesse tore his attention from the conversation to focus on the agent approaching him. He stood his ground, unwavering and went to phase out. Or so he had planned. Instead the hologram struck him flush in the solar plexus. He doubled over, trying to suck in a breath of air. Brennan turned off the simulation.  
  
"You know, if you weren't planning to use your powers I'm thinking a block might have been in order," he teased.  
  
Jesse straightened slowly, a mildly panicked expression in his eyes. "That's just it. I did try to phase. I just couldn't. My powers are gone."  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
Hope you enjoyed. I wasn't too sure on the details of Emma's powers, so I don't know what she sees/feels etc. more to come. Please leave a review, even to leave constructive criticism. Thanks. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2:  
Author's Note: Okay, I would have had this out sooner, but apparently my disk decided to go haywire and lock me out of this file. Fun. Thanks for the advice about Emma, she's the character I'm the most hazy on.   
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own em.  
  
~*~  
  
Brennan's grin slipped from his face at Jesse's blatant announcement. "Jesse man, that's not funny." Jesse glared up at him, still red faced and clutching his midsection.  
  
"Do I look like I'm laughing?" he answered hoarsely. "I can't phase, at all."  
  
"You're not serious." Jesse cast him a withering glance. "Okay, maybe you are serious. Oh, this is SO not good. We need to get Adam."  
  
--  
  
"You know, this could be construed as mildly ridiculous," Jesse grumbled at Adam and Emma as they scurried around the lab. Jesse lay out on the bed in the middle of the room. "I can't phase, I'm not keeling over."  
  
"Jesse," Adam began sternly, adopting his most serious, I'm-about-to-lecture-you expression. "Whatever that uh, Max, did to you, it seriously altered your new mutant abilities. We need to be certain that it's not causing harm to the rest of you."  
  
"But Adam I feel fine. And come on," he said, rubbing one hand over the irritating wires running from his chest, "a heart monitor? Do we really need that?" The patches were starting to itch and the incessant beeping from the machine was driving him up a wall. He sat up suddenly, swinging his legs over the side of the cot.  
  
Emma and Adam exchanged identical reproachful looks. Emma came over, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She could sense his annoyance, his restlessness. But she could also feel, despite his best efforts to shield her from it, his fear. "It's okay Jesse, we'll try to get you out of here as soon as possible."  
  
"Sure Em, it's okay for YOU." His voice was bitter and he cast his eyes to the floor. Emma didn't respond, just squeezed his shoulder. She understood.  
  
"You've just got to bear with us here Jesse," Adam told him. "Hopefully the tests will show that this is just temporary, and your powers will return in time. If so, we can just relax and wait."  
  
"And what if it's not Adam? What then?"  
  
Adam paused, hands clenching around the computer table. His head drooped. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."  
  
--  
  
Adam gathered the rest of Mutant X together a few hours later, while Jesse dozed in the lab. He cast a furtive glance over his shoulder before beginning. "All right guys, we've got a problem."  
  
Brennan, Shalimar and Emma all froze, their faces paling. Brennan asked what no one else wanted to put forth. "Jesse?"  
  
"Well no, not exactly. I still need to finish some more tests before I figure out exactly what's wrong with him. But luckily so far, he seems all right. No, this problem is a little more immediate." He gestured to the TV screen on the group's right.  
  
"According to a contact of mine, there have been a recent series of low profile, high security thefts of military technology at bases around the country."  
  
"So what exactly does this have to do with us?" Shalimar asked. "It strikes me that we've got more important things to deal with right now. Let the military clean up it's own messes."  
  
"This was taken from a security camera the thieves were unaware of at the first theft. Take a close look at the thieves." The video was in black and white and showed three darkly clad figures running through a lobby area. Two members of the Military Police lay unconscious on the floor.  
  
"Those look like GS agents," Emma observed.  
  
"That's because they are GS agents. Eckhart is up to something and I want to know what. I've been able to identify the two men, but the third…" his voice trailed off as he shook his head.  
  
A soft voice interjected from across the room. "It's her. Max." Jesse leaned against the doorjamb of the lab, his eyes never leaving the screen. Adam opened his mouth to say something, but Jesse went on before he got the chance. "Back up the tape Adam, then advance it frame by frame."  
  
Adam complied, albeit grudgingly. Jesse's eyes flicked over every frame. "Stop." The image was frozen in space. Her hair was flying over her shoulder, a few tendrils washing over her features. Her face was serious, eyes dark and stormy and locked onto the camera. She seemed almost to be staring straight through the camera and into the eyes of everyone in the room. Emma shuddered involuntarily. This girl, this Max, held the key to Jesse's impairment.   
  
"My contact says that the components being stolen have been at different bases every time. They started in Virginia and have been moving West ever since. The thefts happen every two weeks. Security at a compound about two hours outside the city has been heightened. It's been two weeks today since the last theft. I want you there. Take one of the vehicles, the Helix is too conspicuous."  
  
Brennan nodded in consent. "What about the girl? What should we do about her?"  
  
Adam nodded, a hand passing over his lips as he considered a plan of action. "She was being advanced upon by GS agents when we saw her the first time," Shalimar pointed out.  
  
"True. But the tape shows her working alongside the GSA," Brennan pointed out. "And she did attack Jesse and Emma in that alley."  
  
"What do you think Emma?"  
  
The brunette shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure Adam. I didn't really get a clear read off of her."  
  
"Bring her in, if you can," Adam finally said. "Whether she's working for Genomex or not she does have some vital information. I'd like to examine her, see exactly what her abilities entail. But be careful, she's proven she's capable of being dangerous."  
  
"Got it. We're on our way." Brennan turned on his heel, Emma and Shalimar close behind. Jesse moved out of the doorway, but Adam's arm across the hallway hindered his progress.  
  
"Forget it. You're not going."  
  
Jesse swore beneath his breath. He should have known Adam wouldn't just let him leave. "Adam, you know I can handle myself. Abilities or no I can deal with GS agents fine."  
  
"You're right Jesse, I do know you can handle yourself. But I also know that the others are fully competent of handling this assignment by themselves, and so do you. So I see no reason to unnecessarily risk you on this mission, especially when you're not one hundred percent. Now please, I have a few more tests, so go back into the lab." Jesse grumbled incoherently and turned around.  
  
--  
  
The intense summer sun beat unmercifully down on the black SUV parked just beyond the fence line of the government compound. Sweat beaded on Brennan's forehead and rolled down his back. He had his head turned to look out the window, one hand swiping at the sweat on his face. His other hand rested lightly on the steering wheel, his fingers tapping it.  
  
"Any change from your end?" he asked into his comm.   
  
"Nothing here Bren. We're talking lazy days."  
  
"We've been here for six hours already," Brennan grumbled to both women. "Maybe Adam's contact got the information wrong."  
  
"Maybe you're just ticked that you're waiting in the car," Emma teased. She was positioned on the other side of the base, crouched on the far side of an embankment.  
  
"Yeah, how exactly did that happen anyway?"  
  
"We outvoted you," Shalimar told him dryly. "Just grit your teeth and deal."  
  
"Hey guys," Emma interrupted their banter. "I just caught a flash of movement on the West side of the complex. We may want to go check it out."  
  
"I'm on it," Shal told them.  
  
"Why you?"  
  
"Cause I called it, and I'm already inside the fence. Hold up while I check this out." Brennan sat up a little straighter, waiting tensely for Shal's next transmission. Emma dared to move over the rise, exposing her position.  
--  
  
Jesse came into the main room, pulling a dark blue shirt over his head. He noticed the look Adam shot him. "Don't even say it Adam. I put up with all your tests. I can sit behind a computer and monitor their movements. It's really not that stressful." Adam held up his hands, allowing Jesse to slide behind the computer screen.  
  
"I should be there," he grumbled beneath his breath. His fingers tensed over the keys, waiting for Shalimar to give them an update.  
  
--  
  
Shalimar's voice rang out over the air. "The window's open. I can see one of the guards down in the hallway. He's breathing."  
  
"Emma and I are on out way. Don't move until we get there."  
  
They all gathered outside the jimmied window. "I can't believe we missed this," Brennan muttered. We should have been able to see them before they even got inside."  
  
Shal paused, one leg stuck through the window. "Well we did. Let's not worry about it and just get in there."  
  
Once all three were inside, Shalimar turned to her friend. "Getting anything Emma?"  
  
She shook her head, and paused in the hall, trying to focus on Max. "It's fuzzy, like in the alley. It's like something's blocking me. I get a vague impression, I know she's here, but that's it. She's alone by the way." She blinked once, and shrugged. "Sorry."  
  
"Not your fault. Let's just do this thing."  
  
The three split when the hallway forked. Brennan tested each of the doors in his aisle. All were locked. He bit back a sigh of frustration when he reached the last door, an electronically locked lab room, with still no sign of the girl. He had however, seen two more officers laying unconscious. He was about to turn back, when a noise on the other side of the door made him pause.   
  
"I think I got her," he whispered into his comm.. Ushering a small electronic burst, he sent it at the lock. There was a loud pop and the door slid open. Shocked gray eyes met his across the room. She froze for a brief moment, than flew into action. She hefted a Bunsen burner and hefted it at his head. Brennan ducked as she leapt the lab table. "Hey! Stop!"   
  
"Okay, if you're not going to listen, we can do this the hard way." A ball of electricity leapt into his palm.   
  
The girl stopped then, just long enough to flash him a sly grin. "Catch me if you can."  
  
"You asked for it." He threw the ball of energy at the girl. The wave of energy struck the wall. Max was gone. She had phased through the wall. "Shal! Shal she just phased through the wall. She's coming your way."  
  
"I'm on it."  
  
--  
  
"Jesse."  
  
"I'm tracking her comm. signal Adam. Follow her Emma, Bren. She's outside already, nearing the East building. Shalimar, leave your signal open so we can hear you."  
  
"Not a problem Jess. I see her now. Girl's quick, but she ain't that quick. I'll catch her before the fence."  
  
--  
  
Max glanced over her shoulder at blonde woman fast approaching. With a low growl she dropped out of her dead run and spun so she was facing Shalimar. The feral mutant's face twisted in a half grin, half smile. "Oh hon, you would have been so much better off running."  
  
Max slung the small duffel bag off her shoulder and tossed it on the ground. "We may as well be civil about all this," the girl said cockily. "After all, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Max."  
  
"That's it? Just Max?" Shalimar cocked an eyebrow. "Whatever. I'm Shal. I'd say you should just come with me, but somehow I get the feeling that ain't gonna fly."  
  
"You're a smart little kitty. Nope, only way I go with you is dead, or unconscious."  
  
"I don't know about the first, but I'm sure the second can be arranged."  
  
"Shake?" Max offered up her hand.   
  
"Sure."  
  
--  
  
Jesse suddenly sat bolt upright in his chair. The words had sparked something in his memory. –"Hi, I'm Max." "Jesse," he had responded, reaching out to clasp her hand. Then, blackness.-  
  
"No Shal! Don't touch her!" Jesse spun to the next computer screen, noting quickly that Shal had stopped moving. "Brennan, Emma, where are you?"  
  
"We can see them Jesse, Brennan's almost there. Oh God, Shal's down. I don't see the girl."  
  
Brennan kneeled down next to Shalimar, who had just begun to come around. "Max is gone Jess, we lost her. You okay Shal?" The blonde nodded slowly, hand lifting to her head.  
  
"I feel like I got kicked in the head by a horse. Little bitch," she muttered darkly.  
  
Brennan chuckled softly, offering Shal a hand up. "Yup, you're okay."  
--  
  
Jesse tossed his headset on the desk and stood up suddenly. "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"I'm going after her. She has to be stopped."  
  
Adam stood in his way. "I agree with you Jesse, but how do you plan on going about capturing her when you can't touch her? Stay here, wait until the others get back and then we'll create a plan of action together where we won't put anyone else in danger."  
  
"If we wait that long we'll lose her. If I take the Helix I might be able to track her. Besides, I already have a plan." He ducked around Adam, running for the hanger. Adam immediately turned for the computer, intent on stopping him. Unfortunately, Adam had taught his young sage too well. Jesse had managed to lock Adam out of the system just long enough to take off with the Helix.  
  
"Jesse? Jesse can you hear me?" he slammed a hand onto the table. "Damn it! Emma, get everyone back here quick. Jesse just went after Max alone, and he's turned off his comm."  
  
--  
  
A young woman sat alone at the end of a bar in a crowded club in the city. Her shoulders were hunched over, her forearms resting against the metal lip. She turned the tumbler in her hands slowly, watching the light reflect off the amber liquid. Her eyes were quiet, almost vacant.  
  
"Buy you a drink?" Someone asked from behind her.  
  
She shifted the glass from in front of her just long enough to give the man a glimpse. "I've got a drink. Go away."  
  
"Now that's not exactly civil is it? How about I just give you a hand?"  
  
The girl spun on her stool. "Look buddy…" her voice trailed off when she recognized the young man in front of him. "Shit."  
  
"Yeah, I'd say shit just about covers it." Max swung a wild fist, but this time Jesse was ready for her. His hands were encased securely in leather gloves. He snatched her wrist a few inches from his face. "Not this time."   
  
Max wasn't finished. She still had the glass in her other hand. She swung it with all her might, the glass shattering on Jesse's head. The new mutant stumbled back, clutching the now bleeding gash on his forehead. Max used the opportunity to twist out of his grasp and dart into the crowd, shoving people aside as she ran.  
  
Jesse shook his head and blinked to clear his head. "Oh, now you're just irritating." He went after her. He could see her just up ahead, flying through the emergency doors of the club.   
  
"Stop!" He drew the gun from his waitbelt. "Stop or I'll shoot." Max turned. Jesse held the gun level, never wavering. "Well isn't this a familiar situation? But this time I think I'll skip the handshake, thanks."  
  
"You won't shoot me."  
  
"You know they say about assumptions. I certainly wouldn't make any about me." He pulled the trigger. The dart imbedded itself squarely in Max's shoulder. She shot him one more hateful glare, before everything went dark and she sank to the ground.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Hope you like this part too. This is winding up fairly Jesse-centric, but I'll keep the others in there a fair amount too. 


	3. 3

Chapter 3:  
Author's Note: Okay, this is he third chapter, hope you like it as much as the first two. I hope it makes sense, since figuring a way for Max to actually be the way I want was hard. Let's see some more reviews here people, please?  
Disclaimer: yeah, I own a group of genetically altered mutant superheroes. Are you okay?  
  
~*~  
  
Her head hurt. She could feel her head resting on something metal, and extremely uncomfortable to boot. She tried moving, but her arms and legs felt heavy, dull, deadened.  
She moved her hands slowly, finally placing them flush against the metal grating. Max tensed, giving her head a shake as she blinked. The dark curtain covering her eyes didn't waiver. She blinked again. She couldn't see.  
  
Jesse swiveled away from the control panel of the Helix when he heard the movement behind him, leaving the craft to pilot back toward Sanctuary on aytopilot. Max was struggling to get to her feet, blinking vacant eyes wildly as her movements became increasingly frantic. He waited patiently, laying the dart gun against his leg, just in case. "You may not want to do that," he stated simply.  
  
"What the hell did you do to me? Why can't I see?" She managed to bring her legs under her, but in the process of standing lost her balance and crashed back to the floor. Jesse rolled his eyes.  
  
"Didn't I just tell you to stay down?"  
  
Max didn't listen, once again attempting to get up. This time she succeeded, teetering uneasily as the Helix hit an air pocket. "Do you get the sense that I'm not listening?" She stepped toward Jesse's voice. "Now tell me, why can't I see?"  
  
"I wouldn't even try what you're trying," Jesse ignored her question.  
  
"Well then I'm lucky I'm not you."  
  
"You're not real high up there on the learning curve are you?" he asked as she stumbled again, reaching out for a seat to halt her fall, but was unsuccessful. AS soon as she hit the ground she was struggling back to her feet. She was persistent, he'd give her that much.  
  
"Gee, Dad always said I was kinda slow, kinda dumb, kinda ugly. That kind of talk can give a girl a complex. And you're not helping."  
  
"You tried to kill me. I'm not required to be nice."  
  
"Oh don't be dramatic, I did not try to kill you."  
  
"Excuse me if I don't share your loose definition of attempted murder. Now sit the hell down before I make you sit down."  
  
"Really pretty boy? What are gonna do?"  
  
Jesse laughed. "What exactly puts you in a position to make demands? You can't see, you don't know where I am, hell if I'm gonna let you touch me and to top it all off, I could just dart your ass again. But I hear it gives people a headache, so I'm going to be nice and let you be smart."  
  
Max contemplated this for a minute before sitting heavily on the floor with a sigh. Her bravado seemed to abruptly leave her and she looked very young, and very small. "So what's going to happen to me? Jail? Or…"  
  
"Not jail, not unless there's a reason. Just…wait. We might just surprise you." She didn't answer, just sat in perfect stillness for the rest of the trip. Jesse sighed and began preparing for landing. He fiddled with his comm. Ring for a moment, then turned it on. "Adam."  
  
"Jesse?"  
  
"I'm coming in. I've got her."  
  
--  
  
Shal, Bren and the others were waiting as the Helix docked. Jesse appeared moments later, gingerly holding Max's arm and keeping a wary eye on his charge. Adam was frowning, but he reserved the lecture for later. Right now, he was far more concerned with getting this girl into the lab and finding out exactly what made her tick.  
  
Jesse could feel the tension in Max's arm. She was ready to bolt, to flee if need be, despite being blinded and surrounded. On the surface however, she was the picture of calmness. She stood, shoulders square, her jaw jutted out defiantly. "Take off patches Jesse," Adam said quietly.  
  
Max felt someone touch her head and peel something away from her skin. The light was glaring. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the sudden influx of light and information. She tensed upon seeing the formidable looking group of people staring at her accusingly, pulling back fruitlessly against Jesse's firm hold.  
  
"Welcome to Sanctuary," Adam greeted. "This is a safe place for all new Mutants, including you."  
  
"Please excuse me if I don't quite trust the lot of you right away."  
  
"Trust us? That's rich from someone who has attacked three of us in the last week," Brennan guffawed.  
  
Adam grunted. "I suppose introductions are in order, though you have technically met everyone, just not formally. That's Brennan. The blonde next to him is Shalimar."  
  
Max smiled, once again dropping into her cocky persona. "Yeah, I remember you kitty-cat. Seems I had the upper hand last time we met."  
  
Shal cocked her head, letting her eyes become animalistic and wild. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You won't fool me again." Max didn't doubt her.  
  
Adam continued. "That's Emma, and it seems you've already met Jesse on several occasions." Max nodded, choosing to remain mute. "All right then. Jesse, bring her to the lab. We need to start those tests."  
  
She reacted faster than he had anticipated, swinging her arm back and twisting away from him. She broke his hold. "Tests? Lab? No fucking way! I don't care what you are, I'm no lab rat." She crouched, ready for an attack, her eyes centering on Shal, who had moved into a fighting stance.  
  
"We won't hurt you," Emma pressed. She glanced at Jesse, who was simply watching the entire exchange quietly. She could feel emotions pouring off Max now, her carefully constructed walls vanishing in a fit of blind panic. "We just need to run a few tests to see how your abilities affected Jesse."  
  
"He'll be fine. I just held on too long is all. You don't need tests. His powers will come back, they always come back. Now let me go." The words came out in a rush. She turned on her heel, darting away from the members of Mutant X.  
  
Shal went to move after her, but Brennan stopped her. "Forget this." His fingertips sparked. He hit the running girl squarely in the back and she slammed into the tile when her legs buckled. She groaned, but lay still. Adam sighed. This was going to be difficult.  
  
"Fine. Bring her to the lab. Make sure we sedate her, just so we don't have a fight on our hands when she wakes up. We're not taking any chances with this one." Adam turned abruptly, shooting Jesse one last approving look before he took off for the lab. Brennan walked over to where the girl had fallen and picked her up, carrying her like a small child.  
  
He and Shal went to the lab, leaving Emma and Jesse in the bay. Emma came up beside the blonde's shoulder. "It's all an act you know," she said quietly. Jesse nodded slowly, eyes somber. "She's angry, that's a given, but it's more than that. She's scared, and she doesn't trust us. We can't help if she won't talk to us."  
  
"I realize that Em, but why tell me?"  
  
"I don't get the same feeling off her about you. There's no trust, not yet, but there's hope. Talk to her, see if you can't get through. I'm gonna try too." Jesse nodded again, dropping his arms to his sides with a sigh.  
  
--  
  
"So?" Shal questioned an hour later.  
  
Adam ran a hand through his hair. "Her body chemistry is strange. It's as if she's both an elemental and a molecular."  
  
"How do you mean?" Brennan questioned, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"She absorbs energy, specifically the life energies of living beings. But she absorbs the energy straight from cells on a molecular level, effectively killing off the cells she drains. For some reason in New Mutants, she attracts and absorbs the cells linked with their abilities, making her able to utilize them for a short while."  
  
"And what does that mean for me?" Jesse asked.  
  
"You will, as she said, regain your powers once your body has created enough of your mutated cells. She said she held on too long, which is probably why it's taking so long for you."  
  
"And if she had held on much longer?"  
  
"She could have killed you. I didn't want it to come to this, but we can't risk Mutant X and the Sanctuary." He dug something out of a drawer.  
  
Jesse stiffened. "Tell me that isn't what I think it is."  
  
"It's the sub-dermal governor we dug out of Brennan after we released him from Genomex. I fixed it."  
  
Shal too, felt uncomfortable having the device so close. "Why do you even still have it?"  
  
"You've never used one before Adam, not on any of the New Mutants we've brought here," Emma pointed out.  
  
"I kept it to study. And I've never used one Emma, because I've never felt the need before. We don't know enough about this girl to just let her wander around Sanctuary with nothing restraining her powers. It would be far too easy for her to take us down and turn us over to Eckhart. Until we know what side she's on, we have to take precautions, I'm sorry." He nodded toward the lab, "Brennan, give me a hand?"  
  
The elemental didn't like it any better than the rest, but he complied, seeing the need. He donned gloves, brushing the still sedated girl's hair off her neck and keeping her still. The deed was finished in a matter of moments. Adam met Brennan's dark eyes over Max's head. The older man's indecision rang true. Brennan smiled softly, the best comfort he could offer.   
  
--  
  
Adam finished with his tests, using her fingerprints to access information about the girl. Her name was Clarice Maxine Wallace, and she owned a small, but reputable security firm in Chicago. Her birth certificate labeled her a recently turned 23. According to police records, the woman had barely had so much as a parking ticket. Why she was working for Genomex didn't compute.  
  
Jesse took Emma's advice and decided. He and Brennan had moved Max into one of the Sanctuary's rooms. Jesse stayed behind, taking a seat on a chair across the room, waiting patiently with a book for the girl to wake. There was no need to stay, because with the implant she was basically harmless. Nevertheless he stayed, driven by some force he didn't understand. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't picture her working for Eckhart.   
  
He was there when she first stirred. Upon realizing there was someone else in the room she sat bolt upright, eyes flashing angrily, but settled when she saw it was only Jesse. She swept a loose lock of blonde hair away from her face, drawing her knees to her chest. Her hand reached for the back of her neck, wincing as she touched the inhibitor. "What is this?" she asked accusingly.  
  
Jesse put his book down on the nightstand next to him. "It's a sub-dermal governor," he told her coolly. "It stops you from using your New Mutant abilities."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"You sure switch subjects quickly," Jesse grinned.  
  
"Find out what I need, move on. NO sense in dwelling on it. So what?"  
  
"I want to know why. I don't understand how you could work for Genomex. I want to know why you ran. I want to know why you didn't kill me. Adam says you could have."  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"I'm getting that. You have a business, a house. You're well respected. You stole for Genomex, but you were fighting with their agents. It doesn't all add up. SO explain it to me. I got time."  
  
It took Max a few minutes before she began, as though she had to decide if she should trust him. "Eckhart's been blackmailing me. He found out about my juvenile record." Jesse looked perplexed, so she continued quickly. "My mother died in a car wreck when I was thirteen, and the court system sent me to live with my father and stepmother. I didn't know her and I hadn't seen him since I don't even remember. He didn't know about…what I am. When he found out," she shook her head as she stared blankly at the wall, silently reliving painful memories. "My life wasn't easy. I was fourteen and we had a fight, one of many. He came at me. I grabbed him and I just, held on."  
  
Her head drooped, her hair falling down over her face. "I could have killed him, almost did. My stepmother saw everything and she lost it. She threatened to send me away, so I ran. And I learned what it was to survive on my own. Couldn't get a job, couldn't go to my friends. I met some people, and they taught me how to pick pockets and locks. I took small things at first, a few watches and wallets, then I got better and I started on cars. Took stereos, CD players and eventually the whole thing. I knew it was wrong but, it just became so easy. I kept a roof over my head and kept myself fed. But I wanted more, so I started doing heists. Private high rises, jewelry stores."  
  
Jesse raised an eyebrow. "You and Brennan ought to talk," he commented dryly. "And?"  
  
"I got caught when I was seventeen, sent to juvie. I'm lucky they didn't try me as an adult. It was my first offense so I did my year and got out. My arrest never went on my permanent records, but somehow Eckhart found out. He sent some goons to my offices, and threatened to expose me. So I agreed to help him, but with certain conditions. I always tried to work alone if I could manage it, and the drop points were public and always one on one, till the last time."  
  
Jesse nodded thoughtfully. "The time when we barged in."  
  
"Yeah. I get the feeling Eckhart ain't much for keeping his word. Those goons jumped me right before you showed up. I didn't know who was who or anything and I figured getting caught would just be trouble, that's why I ran. I am sorry about what I did to you." She shook her head. "I haven't lost control like that in a long time."  
  
"Look, I'm not saying it's okay or anything," Jesse grinned softly, "but I understand what that kind of panic is like. I should have expected you to react. I'm gonna uh go now. I'll send Emma in and she can show you where you can get cleaned up and find some clothes." Max nodded, still staring vacantly forward. Jesse slipped out of the room, where Emma was waiting for him.  
  
"She's still hiding something," Emma observed.  
  
"I know, just wish I knew what. Can you read her any better?"  
  
"She's starting to relax a little. Talking with you helped that. She's tired, emotionally and physically. I'll try to get a better read on her when I'm in there." Jesse nodded and went to find Adam, so they could check up on her Juvenile record.  
  
--  
  
Max stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, hands clenching the tile counter. Her knuckles were bone white. Muscles in her neck and cheek flexed spasmodically. Her eyes were pained and her face taut. Cold water ran into the sink. She cupped the cool liquid, dousing her face in a vain effort to rid herself of this damned headache.  
  
Max wasn't stupid. She knew how she looked, how she felt and what it meant. She just hoped she could hold on long enough to do what she had to. A drop of blood fell from her nose and dissipated into the water, swirling brilliant patterns before being swept away. She swiped at the blood with the back of her hand and cursed.  
  
Emma knocked on the door to the bathroom for the second time. Max looked up sharply, reaching quickly for the shirt lying beside her hands. "Max? Max are you done yet?" There was a muffled reply through the door, so Emma took the liberty of going in. Max was just pulling on a snug black tank top over her head, and Emma noticed the old, jagged scars on her side. Her right arm was a myriad of old wounds running from the back of her hand up past her shoulder. Max smoothed the shirt and glanced at Emma.  
  
"What happened?" Emma questioned. She decided on the direct approach, while still attempting to read the girl.  
  
Max smiled bitterly. "You know that saying, 'There's no honor among thieves?'" Emma nodded. Emma fought back the urge to jump as the memory of a muzzle flash flew through her head. "Well it's true. I was working a job with another guy I knew. I'd worked with him before. Anyway, security in this place was tight, and it was a two person job. We finished raiding out this guy, some high roller, dot-com-millionaire type. We were coming back down the stairs. Well the son of a bitch decides he wants the money for himself, so he pulls a gun. He shot me. Force of it sent me through a plate glass window."  
  
Emma winced. She could see the memory through Max's eyes, staring up at the night sky. She felt cold and alone. "…The cops found me there later, half dead. Took me to the hospital, where I recovered, and then went to jail." Max shrugged on a small black leather jacket, covering the scarring on her arms. She flipped her still damp hair over the collar.  
  
"Sounds like you got lucky."  
  
Max's jaw clenched. "Lucky? Doesn't it ever bother you? Isn't it hard to live the way we are, when no one wants to know you? I had nothing back then, no one. We're not normal, not natural. I deserved to die that night. Hell, I wanted to die. But I didn't, and I wonder why every damn day."  
  
Emma blanched visibly. She wasn't kidding. Emma had become so comfortable in this place, full of people who were like her and who understood. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she had felt so much like Max, so alone and uncomfortable in her own skin. "It gets better, I promise. I used to be like you."  
  
"It got better for you, not me. I'm still alone." Emma felt it then, the lie so close to the surface. And then in her mind's eye was a little girl, maybe nine or ten, in a paisley dress. She was outside, in the sun, and there standing over her was Max. It was a younger Max, little more than a girl herself, and she was smiling.  
  
Emma's eyes flew open, and she noticed Max throwing her an odd look. "We can help you," Emma told her quickly. "Adam runs the Underground. It helps New Mutants needing to make a new start, and EVERYONE," she stressed, "understands."  
  
Max leaned against the counter, chewing her lower lip. "You'd do that for me? After everything? I could start over…"  
  
"Tell Adam what you know about the items Eckhart had you steal, and yeah, we would." Max smiled gratefully, and for the first time, Emma believed it genuine.  
  
--  
  
Two days later Max stood beside Jesse at the top of the stairs at the Underground. Ten feet below, New Mutants milled together, talking quietly. Max glanced at Jesse and he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She smiled tightly. The two had formed a mutual understanding in the past two days, bordering very nearly on actual friendship. They talked, sharing stories of Mutant X and describing the details of some of Max's juvenile indiscretions. She'd even sparred with him a few times, as he preferred live partners to holographic images.  
  
Max considered Emma too, something of a friend. It was hard not to like the amicable, intuitive brunette. Brennan and Shal kept their distance, while not cold certainly cautious. She didn't exactly blame either of them. Adam had deactivated the sub-dermal governor earlier that day, though he hadn't removed it altogether. He'd run a few more tests, scans and blood tests for futures study. He said she was unique among mutants. A freak among freaks, wonderful.  
  
"You'll be fine," Jesse goaded her down the stairs.   
  
"Easy for you to say," she grumbled.  
  
"Do you ever NOT have the last word?"  
  
Max grinned slyly. "Nope."   
  
Jesse just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You'll stay here another day, maybe two. Then the Underground will move you out, relocate you, give you a new name, new ID's and birth certificate and get you in touch with job placement agencies. The rest is up to you."  
  
Max swallowed hard. "I don't know about this. I'm not good with people. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I can be a little abrasive."  
  
"Really?" he suppressed a snort. "I hadn't noticed." Max swatted his arm. "What?"  
  
"I'm gonna miss you Jesse," she said softly, almost too quietly to be heard.  
  
"I heard that."  
  
"You and Emma. You made this…easier. Thank you."  
  
"You'll be fine Max, I can tell. I'll tell Emma you said goodbye. Now go, mingle." He gave her a little push and then turned, heading back up the stairs.  
  
Max waited till he was gone, then headed straight for a deserted corner of the room. She pulled a cell from her pocket. She'd swiped it from an unsuspecting pedestrian. Casting a furtive glance around, she dialed the familiar number. "Hello? Yeah…look I know things didn't go as planned. No…you can't. Damn it Eckhart…that wasn't the deal," she whispered fiercely. "Please…just give me a little more time. Wait…" she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, wishing with all her might that there was some other way, but none sprang to mind. "I can give you something…I can give you Mutant X."  
  
Chapter 3  
God that was longer than I thought it would be. Oh well. Reviews are always appreciated, nay, begged for. Thanks for reading. Little purple button, loved it hated it, Suggestions for improvement are always appreciated. Of course there's something for blind praise too. lol 


	4. 4

Chapter 4: Author's note: I'm having fun writing this story, but it is by no means easy. People don't give people who write Mutant X fic enough credit. The show has only been on for a season and it's difficult to really explore character relationships and history since we don't really KNOW anything. Just my thoughts, sorry. Okay, hopefully I do this justice. I don't know about Jesse/Emma. I kind of see Adam and Emma together, but it's not totally out of the realm of possibility. Disclaimer: I own Max, that's it. You can borrow her if you ask first.  
  
~*~  
  
Max sat at the bar counter, head bobbing rhythmically to the beat of the music coursing across the dance floor behind her. She turned strained eyes to the face of her watch. Hour and a half and counting. She had and hours and a half before everything turned completely upside down. Her stomach lurched with the thought and she quickly finished the rest of her drink, silently signaling the bartender for another. He cast a quick, appraising eye over the girl at the end of the bar, satisfying himself that she wasn't really that drunk.  
  
She half wished she were that drunk. If she were that drunk she wouldn't be able to feel anything, her world would just be gloriously dulled. She'd left the Underground a few hours earlier. She'd had to use her abilities in order to get out, temporarily knocking out a fire elemental guarding the exit. She took comfort in the fact that he'd never remember.  
  
Of course, using her abilities had brought upon another surging headache. Luckily there was no nosebleed this time, so she didn't look to conspicuous moving down the streets. She'd only gotten three blocks before the headache had progressed toward making her nauseous, and the world spun began to tilt and dip. So she'd staggered into the tavern, taking a heavy seat at the end of the bar.  
  
Max ducked her head and closed her eyes, willing herself to remain focused. She was going to have a hell of a time pulling this off, regardless, and she almost certainly couldn't do it if she went off half cocked. This of course, made her reconsider the logic in getting drunk, but she dismissed it. Someone took the empty bar stool beside her, leaning his forearms against the counter. "Beer."  
  
The bartender placed a frothy glass in front of the man, who in turn fingered it lightly, but didn't drink. "Are you gonna make it a point that we always meet in bars?"  
  
Max blinked and glanced up. "Jesse," she observed flatly.  
  
"Well gee don't sound so happy to see me next time," he joked.  
  
"Sorry. Guess I'm a little out of it."  
  
"I guess." He gestured at her drink. "How many of those have you had exactly?"  
  
"Enough."  
  
"Enough for what?"  
  
"Enough to dull." she slurred the last word, making a wide arc with her arm, the amber liquid spilling over the side of the glass. ".everything."  
  
Jesse cracked an ironic smile. "Okay, I think you're done." He tried to take the drink away, but Max snatched it back with a shake of her head.  
  
"I'm not done. You don't know me, you don't know.anything, so don't tell me I'm done. No. You have no idea.no idea," she repeated softly. "You're just too damned nice to see it. Why are you like that Jesse? Why'd you come?"  
  
"Cause I'm such a sucker. The Underground got in touch with Adam. They said that you decided to take a little vacation, and that you managed to knock out one of their guards in the process, but he doesn't remember what happened. I'm sure you wouldn't know anything about that though."  
  
She shrugged. "He was like that when I left," she said, feigning innocence.  
  
"Uh huh," Jesse sipped at his beer. "So what little trick do you have up your sleeve now?"  
  
She leaned toward him and whispered conspiratorially, "I can shoot fire out my fingers. Shh, don't tell."  
  
"No problem." She nodded, eyes glassy and she grinned, but it did reach her eyes. Jesse watched her as she finished the last of her drink. "Were you going to go back?" He asked finally.  
  
Max paused, her face suddenly turning serious. "I don't know if I ever even planned to stay. I think I let myself believe that I could just start over, a clean slate you know? The I saw them there. I'm not like them."  
  
"Why can't you start over? All you gotta do is trust us."  
  
"How am I supposed to do that? I don't even trust ME. I screwed everything up Jesse, when I was a kid, letting myself get involved with Eckhart in the first place, with you and your friends." Her features darkened and a lump rose in her throat. "Jackie," she whispered, almost inaudible.  
  
"What?" Jesse's eyes narrowed. "Who is Jackie?"  
  
"Never mind," she mumbled.  
  
"Max." "I said never mind!" Max snapped, jumping up from the bar stool. She wanted to stalk away into the heaving crowd, but was halted by a new hit of dizziness. The world tilted crazily and her knees bucked. Jesse grabbed her, supporting her entire weight on one arm. Her face was pressed into his shoulder, and a dampness alerted him to the fact that she was sobbing quietly.  
  
"Come on, let's go outside, where we can talk." She nodded mutely, not meeting his eyes.  
  
It was late, the street nearly vacant. Max sank down against a wall, drawing her knees tight to her chest. Jesse stood over her, arms crossed over his chest. "Well?"  
  
"Jackie is.she's my." she stuttered, trying to find the words to explain what she had done, what she was going to do. Oh God. "Jesse, Jesse what time is it?"  
  
Jesse stiffened. He wasn't listening to the girl on the sidewalk. His eyes were trained on the four men fast approaching from all sides. The dark suits, dead eyes and grim expressions labeled them GS agents. His hands clenched and his shoulders hunched reflexively. "Max get up. Get up. We've got to get out of here." He tugged at her arm, his gaze never trailing far from the approaching men.  
  
Max shook her head, wrenching her arm away. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm so sorry Jesse. You never should have come here. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Max?"  
  
"So sorry." It was too late, the GS agents surrounded them. Jesse stood poised for a fight, all the while knowing there was nothing he could do.  
  
--  
  
Adam ran his hand tiredly over his haggard features. No matter how many times he stared at the list of parts Max had stolen for Eckhart, he couldn't figure out what the head of Genomex was planning to build. It was frustrating and he needed sleep, but at the same time couldn't seem to tear himself away from the screen. Something told him it was important he figured this out, so sleep, however needed, would have to wait.  
  
Emma entered, knocking softly on the door jamb. Adam jerked his head up, startled. Emma noted Adam's general state of disarray, his bloodshot eyes. She could feel his weariness. "Yes Emma?"  
  
"Are you all right Adam? Maybe you should take a break."  
  
Adam cast the younger woman a thin smile. "I'm fine. But you need something. What is it?"  
  
Emma sighed. It wasn't like she could stop him from working. "Max's blood tests came back. I think you should take a look at them." She held out a small sheaf of papers.  
  
He read the papers carefully, his eyes narrowing the farther down the paper he read. "Damn," he murmured.  
  
"What?"  
  
Adam looked over the tops of the papers at the Psionic. "Max's mutation is evolving. She's becoming more powerful."  
  
Brennan and Shalimar arrived at the door behind Emma just in time to hear Adam's last comment. Emma shrugged. "Don't forget Adam, she's on our side now. What's the problem?"  
  
"She's mutating too quickly. It's becoming obvious that she's having difficulty controlling her powers, look what happened with Jesse. Her body sees the powers she's absorbing as a foreign entity and is trying to fight them off. It gets worse every time she uses her abilities. Her body is killing itself off. Max is dying."  
  
"The Underground said she disappeared earlier tonight," Shalimar spoke. "Jesse went to go find her. Try to get him up on the comm.."  
  
Emma went to the nearest panel, activating the link to Jesse's ring. "Jesse." She began, but trailed off as she heard voices arguing on the other end.  
  
--  
  
The tallest GS agent, standing nearly six inches taller than Jesse, walked forward. He was grinning nastily, his hands illuminated by electric current. "Well Wallace you came through. Gotta say I'm a little surprised. When Eckhart said you were giving up the Mutant X I didn't believe him." Jesse's eyes widened, and he shot an accusing look over his shoulder.  
  
Max stood shakily, drawing a in a shuddering breath. "It's not like it looks Jesse."  
  
He scowled, his mouth tight. "I'd say it's exactly like it looks Max. Brennan was right, we never should have trusted you." The GS agent held out his hand, and reluctantly, Jesse handed him his ring.  
  
--  
  
Shal paced nervously around the room, and Brennan glared. "Whose side is she on again Emma? Cause I don't think it's ours."  
  
Emma was crushed. How could she so completely have misjudged Max? She'd believed her, trusted her, even felt sorry for her. Now all Emma wanted was to get Jesse back, and find out how she could have been so wrong about Max.  
  
--  
  
Okay, Chapter 4:  
  
Next chapter ought to be pretty fun, lots of ass kicking and the like, if all pans out. If not next chapter certainly the one after. Glad to see you're liking it, and I'll try to update quickly. 


	5. 5

Chapter 5:  
Author's Note: It's coming, it's coming, lol. I'm having massive issues with my computer, so please, be patient. And I'm glad people like my OC, there's always such a danger there I think.  
Disclaimer: it'd be cool if I owned em, but I don't.  
  
~*~  
  
Jesse squared his shoulders and set his jaw a the man leading the GS agents. He was an elemental Mutant X had come across before. His dark, beady eyes were alight, shimmering with mirth. "So we're back here again Kilmartin. Isn't that interesting?"  
  
Jesse shrugged. "I seem to remember the last time we met you ended up running away with your tail between your legs Oz. So yeah, interesting for me, bad for you."  
  
Oz, the new mutant, sneered, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Sure, you had the upper hand, thanks to your friend Mulray. But he's not here now. It's just you and me."  
  
"Oh well, then I'm just quaking in my boots."  
  
"We'll see. You two," he said , motioning to two agents behind him, his eyes never wavering. "Get Wallace, I'll deal with him. Eckhart wants to talk to her."  
  
The two agents turned to Max, who had slowly gotten to her feet. She ducked her head, her hair slipping down over her eyes and she peered through the locks with an icy glare. "Don't touch me," she growled. She cupped her hand at her hip willing the spark that leapt to her palm to grow. The sparks grew to a rather substantial ball of flames encircling her hand. "I was wrong and you haven't held up your end of the bargain, so we're not going anywhere."  
  
The fire reflected in her eyes as it shot forth, roaring with intensity. The two GS agents spun and fled away. The tail of one's coat began to smolder. Oz was staring at her, mouth open.   
  
Jesse took full advantage of the opportunity. He launched at the other mutant, slamming a fist firmly into the bigger man's gut. Oz grunted, doubling over, and Jesse struck him with a solid back kick. The GS agent stumbled back, clutching at his stomach, his eyes blazing.  
  
Meanwhile Max was dealing with the other two. The flames in her hands suddenly died, and she was stuck by a wave of nausea. Her hands fell, and a feral leapt at her, landing on her back and driving her to the ground. She rolled onto her back, stretching back with her leg so it wrapped around his throat. The mutant was flung away, landing easily on his feet as Max clambered up. Her chest heaved and she put up two trembling fists. She wouldn't go down without making them know they'd been in a fight.  
It seemed that Oz had had enough. He blocked Jesse's left jab and shoved the smaller man back. His right hand suddenly seemed to slicker, and Jesse felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. He braced his legs as Oz's powers caused the ground to shift again, more violently this time. A fissure opened in the pavement and Jesse had to leap away.  
  
He tried to get near Oz, but it was near impossible. Every step he took was blocked by a new wall of earth. The ground pitched and Jesse stumbled, falling heavily to his knees. Oz laughed. The member of Mutant X grunted, forcing himself to rise again. This time when the ground rose beneath him he was ready, and he used it to help propel himself in the air, landing beside Oz. He drove his fist into his temple. The ground stopped as Oz's focus was impaired. Jesse didn't notice the psyonic sneaking up behind him, but Max did.  
  
"No!" She rushed him, launching herself onto his back and clamping her palms to his temples. Jesse turned, his attention now gone from Oz, who was still writhing on the ground. The mutant was convulsing, eyes rolled back into his head. His mouth hung agape, small flecks of saliva flinging around. Max hung on, though she too seemed affected, her face twisted. The scream that ripped through her broke his reverie and he finally moved. He tackled them, forcing both to the ground, and he rolled quickly away from Max.  
  
He hurried over to them. Max was pale, her breathing shallow. He placed a hand over her heart, and he could feel her heart thumping crazily. Assuring himself that she was indeed alive he turned to her victim. His face was contorted, skin pale and hollow. There was no comforting beating of his heart. His eyes sunk in a way that made him seem like he had been dead for days, instead of moments.  
  
Oz crept behind Jesse. He slammed the toe of his boot into his head. The blonde molecular slumped to the ground unconscious. Oz stared at his fallen comrade, feeling his stomach roll uneasily. He pointed to Max, "Someone take her, but be careful, don't touch her skin." Two agents approached but neither seemed thrilled by the situation. Oz himself picked Jesse up by his shirt, half dragging him unceremoniously through the street.  
  
--  
  
"Ugh," Jesse groaned. He blinked. Gray walls and sterile faces met his eyes. He knew almost immediately where he was, a lab at Genomex. He was strapped into a lab chair, doctors milling around him. His head hurt and his neck was stiff, but he slowly turned his head. Max was beside him, though she was still unconscious.  
  
Then he saw Mason Eckhart standing beside Oz at the entrance of the lab. They came in once they noticed Jesse was awake. "How do you feel Kilmartin?" Oz taunted.  
  
"Like I want another chance at kicking your ass Oz."  
  
Mason chuckled. "Adam picks ones with spines I'll give him that much. Unfortunately for you Mr. Kilmartin I place no such faith in that trait among my mutants. Hence why we've equipped you and you friend here with sub-dermal governors. I can assure you that we can make life highly unpleasant for the both of you."  
  
"I don't think you need machines for that Eckhart," Max's voice piped up.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Wallace, how nice of you to join us. I hear you managed to eliminate one of my men. I don't appreciate such insubordination. You after all, are the one who promised me Mutant X." She flinched as Jesse shot her a cold look.  
  
"I was wrong. You were never going to go through with our deal were you? Just wish I had realized it sooner."  
  
"You will still help me Ms. Wallace. I still need the last component I hired you to retrieve."  
  
"Go to hell." Eckhart nodded to the technician across the room. Intense pain coursed through her entire body. Her fists clenched and her back arched against the chair. When the pain stopped she was sweating, her fingers trembling.  
  
Eckhart shook his head. "Get them out of here. We have other matters to deal with at the moment. They can wait, for a time." He turned, waving them away with a flick of his wrist. Oz smiled grimly as he and another agent undid the strapped Jesse and Max. he yanked Max out of the chair and only his grip on her jacket kept her from falling as her knees buckled. He grunted, and yanked her up till she was standing uneasily on her own feet.  
  
Jesse and Max walked in single file between two agents. Oz flanked them, keeping a wary eye on his two charges. They were walking along a glass enclosed hall surrounding the room with the stasis pods. Inside a young girl was being examined by a lab tech. Max did a double take. She stopped dead and Jesse almost ran into her. She wheeled, pressing her hands up to the glass. She pounded on it. "Jackie! Jackie no!"  
  
Oz reached for her, but she lashed out viciously. "get the fuck away from me! Jackie!" Oz sighed and pressed a button on the remote he carried. Max jerked and she screamed. She went down on one knee, her hands clawing at the back of her neck. Jesse tensed, wanting to help her, but two GS agents blocked his path.  
  
"Behave," OZ growled, finally releasing the button. "Get up." Max glared at him. "I said get up!" She drew herself up, squaring her shoulders. She would not be dragged along like some beaten mongrel. She took her place behind Jesse and they marched on, though she never stopped looking at the girl beyond the glass.  
  
They were dumped in a cold, gray holding room. Jesse sat heavily on a bare cot, folding his arms across his chest. He wanted to yell at Max, wanted some sort of explanation, but the words died on his lips when he looked at her face. Her skin was almost gray, her eyes sunken and hollow. The moment the doors closed she sank to the floor. Max sat on her knees, palms flat down on the concrete, her forehead pressed to the floor.  
  
God she hurt. Her stomach clenched sporadically and her vision swam. Her body felt like rubber and it felt like her head was going to explode. Her breathing was raspy. Jesse stood from his seat and started over, but Max stopped him, holding up her hand and shaking her head. "Don't," she gasped. Jesse stopped. "Just…..stay away."  
  
She lifted her head off the cement. Her shoulders shook as her entire body convulsed. Dark liquid spilled from her mouth as she wretched. Max wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving a dark crimson trail. She got off her knees and leaned up against the wall, drawing her knees to her chest. She was shaking and her heart raced. Her skin was an unhealthy palor.  
  
"Was that…...?" Jesse asked quietly, his voice trailing off.  
  
"Yeah," she said, her voice clipped. She leaned her head against her forearms, rocking slowly on her heels. "It happens sometimes, like after you. When I take too much." She looked up momentarily. "He's dead isn't he?" Jesse nodded silently.  
  
"I could feel it, feel him. I felt him grasping at it. A part of me felt like I was dying too." She shuddered.  
  
"Have you ever, killed, anyone before?"  
  
Her voice was strained and tears sprang to her eyes. "No. But I've never felt so out of control of it either. And what's worse is that I can hear him, even now, in my head. I can hear so many voices and I can't stop it."  
  
"You absorbed a psyonic. My guess is that he was a telempath, like Emma. You're feeling the people around you, their thoughts, their raw emotions. Try to just focus on one. Why don't you focus on Jackie?"  
  
Her gaze narrowed, but the trembling of her body slackened. "I'm sorry Jesse. I thought I could handle it. I thought I could handle Eckhart on my own, but I was wrong. I'm sorry I was so stupid and I'm sorry you and yours got pulled into the middle of it. I didn't care what he did to me but, I never thought he'd go after Jackie. She's my sister Jesse. I told Eckhart I didn't care what he tried to do to me, then he kidnapped my sister. He said he'd kill her. I had no choice."  
  
"There are always choices. You could have asked for our help. You could have……"  
  
"I couldn't risk it Jesse! I didn't know you, not really and then at the Underground I called him. Eckhart was going to kill her, no matter what I did, so I offered him you, I offered him Mutant X. I never planned to go through with it, but you came at the bar and then all this. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to save her, make things right."  
  
"Your sister?" He repeated blankly.  
  
"Half sister," she amended quietly. "We have the same father, different mothers. She, she doesn't know, about me, about what I am. I have to get her out. She has nothing to do with this." He watched a sob coursed through her, though she still didn't make a sound. He moved toward her, quietly sliding down beside her, till they sat, shoulder to shoulder. He wanted to put his arm around her, something to assure her they would get out, but he didn't dare risk it. Still, Max understood the sentiment and let out a slow, shuddering breath.  
  
--  
  
You know this is a long shot, right Adam?" Brennan asked dryly. He couldn't believe they were again sitting, waiting for Eckhart to make his move, or more accurately, waiting for Max to make hers.   
  
"It's the only shot we've got at the moment Brennan. Max can tell us where Eckhart's holding Jesse. With a member of Mutant X captured in Genomex he'll have heightened security all over. We won't be able to just waltz in, grab Jesse and get out." Adam's source had given him information regarding the last potential target. Emma, Shal and Bren had taken the Helix and were waiting.  
  
Max glared one last time at the three GSA who had brought her to the secured complex. Eckhart had been very specific. She was to get in, get the component and get out in ten minutes, no longer. If she tried anything Jackie and Jesse would pay the price. She had almost refused, till the head of Genomex had activated Jesse's sub-dermal governor, sending the blonde molecular to the ground.  
  
She slipped silently into the building, trotting down the hall to the door at the end. The moment she stepped inside she slowed, holding her hands above her head defensively. Her eyes scanned the darkness. She could feel them, lurking in the shadows, Brennan's disdain, Shal's burning anger and Emma's uncertainty. "You may as well come out," she said carefully. "I won't run."  
  
"Better not," Brennan warned icily, stepping out of the shadows behind a counter. His fingers sparked. "You might not like it." Shal approached from Max's left, eyes flashing feral, a dangerous curl to her lip. Emma came from the right, head tilted, like she was trying to read her.  
  
"You're coming with us," Shal told her.  
  
Max shook her head. "I can't.."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
"If I do, Eckhart will hurt Jesse, maybe even kill him." Max took a step back, shoulders hunching defensively despite herself.   
  
Brennan rolled his eyes and laughed. "Why the hell should we believe you? You're the one who handed him over to Eckhart in the first place."  
  
"It's not like you think," Max started. She blinked slowly. The room was tilting crazily. "Jesse was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
  
"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Shal growled.  
  
Emma stared hard at Max. Adam was right, the girl was weakening quickly. Her mind was tired, muddled. Her eyes were sunken and didn't seem to focus on anything in the room. Max looked at Emma, though her words were meant for all three. "Here," she dug a slip of paper from her pocket. "This is a plan of Genomex. I showed on it where they're holding Jesse. I also got the security code for the cell. Take it." Brennan hesitated. "I know you believe me Emma, I can feel it." The three new mutants shot her a collective strange look. "Pysionic," she shrugged.  
  
"Max," Emma began slowly. "Adam finished running his tests on the samples he took from you. He said that………"  
  
"I know Emma," she nodded.  
  
"Come with us. Adam can help you."  
  
"I can't." Emma nodded slowly. She'd known the answer, but still had to ask the question.  
  
Emma slowly reached out and took the paper. "I have to go." Max turned, hurrying out of the room. Emma laid a restraining hand on Brennan's forearm.  
  
"Let her go Bren. Come on, let's give this info to Adam. Sooner we do that, sooner we can get Jesse out."  
  
Chapter 5  
Short, I know, but I was kind of stuck on this one. Please leave reviews, they're always appreciated. I'll try to get the next out soon, and it may be the last chapter. Thinking about doing a sequel and bringing Max back for it and would like some feedback. 


	6. 6

Chapter: Author's note: Okay, so this has been a long time coming, but please bare with me. I got a little stuck on this chapter so.. Disclaimer: Don't own em, cept for Max, but you probably figured that already.  
  
~*~  
  
Jesse paced anxiously around the interior of the small cell. Max hadn't said much upon her return, just nodded to him once and sank onto the cot in the corner. She'd been there ever since, curled up, facing the wall. Jesse had breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she had been able to get a message through to Brennan and the others.  
  
As grateful as he was, the hard part now began. He hated beyond words being out of touch with his partners. He hated waiting, hated being inactive and unable to help himself. He reached up to touch the sub-dermal governor at the base of his neck and grunted. Even without the infernal contraption he would still be useless and that was the part he hated the most.  
  
Max twitched on the cot, moaning softly. Blue eyes shot over in her direction and Jesse's frown deepened. Even in the dark he could see her shoulders quake. Her legs were pulled close to her, as if she were cold. His hand dropped from his neck and he ventured over to the cot. He peered carefully over Max, sure not to touch her. She looked horrible. Her face was pale, and contorted in a mask of pain. Her eyes were shut tightly and a vein throbbed in her forehead. She clutched her hands near her chest, knuckles bloodless and bony. Her entire body quaked as if in a seizure.  
  
"Max?" He questioned softly. He wanted to reach out and shake her awake, but stopped himself a few inches above her shoulder. He shook his head. He couldn't. Who knew if she could control her powers while she slept? "Max?" He said again, louder this time.  
  
"Max.." a soft, somewhat familiar voice broke through the haze in her mind. Max felt like she was in a deep hole looking out. The voice was so far away. God she hurt. She was crashing hard this time. Pysionics were always worse, she wasn't sure why exactly, but they were, and this was especially bad. She was having flashes, visions she couldn't control.  
  
She could see, as if looking at herself from the outside, the scene when she had killed the pysonic. His terror haunted her, the pain he had felt as his life had been sucked from him. She saw Jackie, cold and alone in a cell much like hers, tears streaming down her face. Then she saw Emma, sitting at a desk in Sanctuary, staring blankly forward. She was worried, thinking of Jesse. "Max." there was that voice again.  
  
Jesse couldn't help it. She was screaming now, and blood dripped from beneath her fingertips, digging into her palms. He reached out tentatively, brushing her clothed shoulder with the tips of his fingers. She shuddered beneath the touch. Suddenly her eyes popped open, wide, wild and bloodshot. She lashed out with a shimmering palm, and Jesse barely had a chance to duck away. He threw himself backward, crashing to the floor and striking his hip.  
  
Max's shoulders heaved as she sucked in deep gulps of air. She clutched her knees to her chest, hugging her legs. Her eyes flicked left and right involuntarily and tears brimmed in them. Never before in her life had she felt so much emotion all at once. She's spent her entire life shutting people out, because it was easier to simply not feel. Then it rushed upon her, a giant tidal wave, crashed sweeping her under and then got sucked back out to sea and once more there was nothing. Now the wave was gone, and she was alone, empty and scared.  
  
She shook her head softly. Tears streamed down her face. "Never. It's never been like that...." She rocked slowly back and forth on the cot. Jesse rose to his feet slowly.  
  
"Max."  
  
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering painfully. "I'm sorry. There's just..pain..so much..Jesse I can't....I can't do it anymore." Jesse sat down near the head of the bed, legs hanging off the side.  
  
"It's okay, it'll be okay. Shhh." Despite the danger to himself he felt compelled to comfort her then, draw her in. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer, till her head rested on his chest. He felt the warmth of her tears soak through his shirt, felt her shoulders heave beneath his hands. He let his chin sit atop of head as he murmured soft assurances. They stayed like that for a long while, even after Max's sobs had subsided. Her limbs slackened and soon she slept. With a soft grunt Jesse levered himself carefully back on the cot, leaning back against the wall, till he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.  
  
--  
  
Brennan approached the back doors of Genomex, casting cautious glances over his shoulders every few seconds. This was always so much easier with Jesse, he mused. Jesse could just slip in and eliminate the alarm system from the inside. He was good like that, with computers, but not this time. This time Jesse was inside, powerless and in God knew what state. Electric waves jumped to his fingers, but he quickly reminded himself that any power surge was likely to send all of Genomex up in arms.  
  
So instead of letting Jesse do his thing, Brennan was there. He was supposed to use the key codes Max had garnered to slip in unnoticed, allowing the others to follow. Emma and Shal were supposed to find Jesse, free him, while Brennan shut down the power in the building. And he hated it. He hated taking information from a woman he didn't trust. "Adam..." he started.  
  
"Brennan, we don't have any other options. Shal and Emma have the Helix ready to pull you out if you need it. Just do it."  
  
He sighed, breathing deeply and grit his teeth. He cast one last furtive glance over his shoulder and made his way out of the underbrush to the door. He pulled the small scrap of paper from his pocket, punching in the seven digit code to the pad to the right of the door. Not that having the code meant he was home free. There were also guards and video monitoring to consider, though Brennan could deal with that. A little shock therapy for the guards and a mysterious short in the electrical system would do him well.  
  
The light at the top of the keypad turned green and he heard the latch release. He smiled grimly and pushed his way inside, hugging close to the dark interior of the passageway. He half expected Eckhart and his men to be waiting for him, but they weren't there. "I'm in," he whispered into his comm..  
  
"Good, Shal and Emma are two minutes behind you. Keep going for the control room, and stay alert, just in case."  
  
"Not an issue," he muttered softly. He rounded a corner, fists up and at the ready. The two guards were there, just as Max had said they would be. Brennan took them out easily with a bolt. He kept low, trotting along the corridor toward the control room. Then suddenly a GS rounded a corner and saw Brennan. A look of shock passed over his face. Brennan summoned another ball of electricity, but the man had turned tail and darted off. He cursed under his breath, and after a brief internal debate decided not to go after him. All it would do was waste time, time he would need to deactivate the sub-dermal governors.  
  
--  
  
Jesse was still half asleep, Max sleeping in his lap, when the alarms went off a few minutes later. Jesse started and he felt Max's entire body tense. Her eyes flew open and only Jesse's hands on her shoulders kept her from leaping off the cot. "It's okay Max," he told her, despite the worry that flickered across his own features. Max sat up slowly.  
  
They both stood, their eyes trained on the door, where they could see numerous GS agents rushing by. Max turned to Jesse, face deathly serious. "Jesse, if anything happens today, please protect Jamie. She isn't involved in any of this. If anything happens to me, just get her out."  
  
His head snapped in her direction. "Nothing's going to happen to you..."  
  
"Just in case Jesse.."  
  
"Nothing is going to happen," he said vehemently. "We'll get you both out."  
  
"Jesse promise me! Promise me if anything happens you'll take care of her. Please!?!!!"  
  
His brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded all the same. "All right. I promise."  
  
She turned back to watch the door. Her expression was sad and resolute. Her voice was soft. "Thank you."  
  
Suddenly, the door to the cell burst open. Both Jesse and Max tensed, ready to defend themselves. "Shal, Emma!" Jesse exclaimed. "Thank God."  
  
"Hey Jess, nice to see you too. You ready to get out of here?"  
  
He grinned. "Hell yes. Thought you'd never ask. Where's Brennan?"  
  
"Hopefully deactivating your little implants, and clearing our way out. He'll meet us at the Helix." Shal wheeled to nail a wayward GS agent in the face, sending him flying back into the wall. "Can we go now?"  
  
"Jamie.." Max muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Her sister," Jesse explained. Emma gasped. It made sense now, Max's confusion, her fear, the little girl she'd seen in her vision. "We'll get her Max. Come on."  
  
The four new mutants hurried down the corridor toward Genomex's research area. They would have to pass through the labs surrounding the stasis pods before being able to get out. Plus, information about where Jamie was being held was probably inside. Shal led the way, followed by Emma and Max, with Jesse bringing up the rear. The few errant agents that crossed their path were quickly disposed of, first by Shal, then a powerful right hook from Jesse.  
  
They poured out into the central lab. Emma spotted Brennan on the level below them. Emma grinned, but it faded quickly as a whole mass of GS agents flooded in from all sides. "Split up!" Shal yelled, leaping at one group of agents with an angry roar. Emma spun, eyes narrowing as she sent an image of fire at the agents on her left. Jesse grabbed Max's arm and yanked her away from the fight. Brennan had his hands full with three more new mutants below them, while another group raised guns and started to fire. He could hear Eckhart's voice piping into the room.  
  
"Do not let them escape! Detain Mutant X by any force necessary!"  
  
Max was watching the fight dazedly, eyes dull. She and Jesse were crouched on the far side of a control panel, shielded from most of the fight. Then on the level below, Oz skirted by Brennan who was busy with two new mutant agents. Being half dragged along behind him was a slender blonde girl of about 16. She was pulling back, fighting as hard as she was able, to no avail. Her scream ripped through the lab.  
  
Max tensed, rising out of her crouch. Jesse grasped her wrist, yanking her back down as another barrage of bullets struck the control panel. "You can't!" he snapped.  
  
She pulled out of his grasp. "it's Jaime," she growled. She rose her hand, palm shimmering dimly. "I can, and I will. Either help me or get out of my way." Jesse gulped.  
  
"All right. I'll help. Come on." He dashed out from their hiding place first, Max hot on his heels. They kept low, moving in the direction of the stairs. Emma's head snapped around in their direction. She saw a gun wielding agent aim at them out of the corner of her eye. She whirled, directing the image of large, hissing snakes at the man's feet. The mental image distracted him long enough for Jesse and Max to make it to the steps.  
  
Jesse shot a glance over his shoulder just long enough to see Emma halt an attacking GS agent. He grinned and kept moving. Oz was just about to pass in front of the stairs as Jesse and Max began to descend. Jaime's eyes rose and fell upon her sister. "Max!!!" she screamed.  
  
Oz's gaze shot to the steps. He threw Jaime down, the young girl landing hard on her stomach. An evil grin slid onto his features and a green light jumped to his palms. Jesse felt the stairs begin to quake beneath his feet. He grabbed the railing as a large jolt nearly sent him to his knees. He heard a throaty growl just behind him. Max had one foot up on the railing, jaw clenched. She launched herself off the steps at Oz. The surprise at the attack was evident on his face, which just as quickly turned to horror.  
  
Jesse looked back at Jaime, who was just sitting up. She turned to look at her sister, her face deathly pale. Her mouth fell open. Both Max and Oz were completely immersed in green light. The floor of Genomex twisted and cracked beneath them. Jesse bolted down the last few stairs and ran to Jaime. He grabbed the young girl's shoulders, pulling her away from her sister. "No, Max. What's happening?" Tears streamed down her face.  
  
"She'll be all right. Your sister is strong."  
  
"But I don't understand! What's going on??"  
  
Jesse didn't answer. Oz and Max were still locked together. But Oz's face was drawn and sunken. His eyes had rolled back in his head. Max's face was contorted. Then Oz fell, just fell, straight down onto the floor. His body was so emaciated Jesse could barely recognize his face. Max dropped to her knees, still glowing wildly. Brennan, Emma and Shal had the other agents well in hand. Jesse patted Jaime's shoulder. "Stay here while I check on her," he moved a few yard closer to Max, though still staying a safe distance away. "Max?"  
  
Emma allowed herself a sigh of relief as she sent another GS agent running on his way. She reached out, trying to feel Max. Her presence was vague, weak. Then a sharp emotion blasted through her defenses. It was intense, sudden fear. She whirled. There was a GS agent leveling his gun at Jaime. "Help me!" the girl shrieked.  
  
Jesse spun. He saw the gunmen, and sprinted back toward her. He didn't even think about it. He'd blocked so many shots before. Emma felt her heart leap into her throat. "Jesse! NO!" Then gunman pulled the trigger, and she was too late to do anything about it.  
  
Jesse tackled Jaime. He half expected a searing pain from the bullet ripping through his back, but none came. Instead, he felt the bullet ricochet off him. Surprised, he rolled off Jaime and looked at his hands. He'd massed.  
  
Emma felt herself let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. He was okay, Jesse was okay, thank God. He leapt to his feet, ready to take on the agent, but Brennan had taken him down with a bolt. He let himself phase back, chest heaving. He grinned up at his friends.  
  
"Hey Max," he said happily, "we did..oh hell." Max was on the ground on her side, shaking uncontrollably and she was still glowing. Emma gasped, and Shal and Brennan exchanged concerned glances. Her shaking got worse and suddenly the glowing got brighter, tearing out from her body. The ground beneath Jesse rolled and he was knocked down. All around him the building shifted. Plaster fell from the roof in large chunks.  
  
"This place is coming apart!" Shal yelled. "We need to get out of here! Brennan, help Jesse and let's go!" She bolted toward the Helix, Emma right behind. Brennan ran over, grabbing Jaime and picking her up. Jesse kneeled down beside an eerily still Max and scooped in his arms. Her head hung limply and her skin was cold. He lifted her with a grunt and rushed out.  
  
--  
  
The five new mutants and one girl ran into the Helix. Brennan set Jaime down in a chair and jumped behind the control panel. Shal set next to him. The ship rumbled as the engine sprang to life. Emma and Jesse set Max down gently. "She doesn't have a pulse," Emma observed. She started CPR.  
  
"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Jesse asked in a harsh whisper, trying not to let Jaime hear.  
  
Emma looked at him, a pained expression on her face. "We tried to warn her Jesse. She's sick, her mutation is making her sick. I told her Adam could help her, but she said she had to go back. She already knew she was dying."  
  
Jesse felt a lump in his throat. "She knew?"  
  
"Yes. She's ready for it, expecting it. I felt it in her the last time we talked. Brennan, we need you back here."  
  
The tall brunette handed the controls over to the blonde feral. "What's up?"  
  
"I can't get her heart started again. Try shocking her." Brennan complied. A small jolt leapt from his fingers to her chest. Max's body jumped. Emma pressed her fingers to her neck. She shook her head, "Again." Still nothing. "Again." Brennan furrowed his brow, emitting another carefully controlled shock. Max convulsed, and she sucked in a small breath. Emma grinned. "We got her."  
  
"Will she be all right?" Jamie turned in her seat watching her sister.  
  
Emma exchanged a grim glance with Jesse. "We'll do the best we can," she said. Jesse knew well enough to know that Max wasn't out of the woods yet, probably not by a long shot.  
  
Adam greeted them at the hanger. He nodded to Jamie briefly before turning his attention to Emma and the others. Brennan was carrying Max. Adam held open her eyelids and felt her pulse. "get her to the lab, now." Jesse started to follow. "No Jesse, you need rest. There's nothing else you can do for her right now. Go with Emma and take Jamie to a room."  
  
"Can you help her?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe. Please, just go." Jesse wanted to argue, but went with Emma anyway, jaw clenched.  
  
Emma shut the door behind her. Jamie was exhausted. The young girl had wanted to wait for news on her sister, but Emma had given her something to make her sleep. Jamie looked almost content lying soundlessly beneath the covers and Emma only hoped they would have some good news for her when she woke.  
  
Emma and Jesse sat wordlessly in the Sanctuary's kitchen area. Jesse had a sandwich in front of him, but he didn't feel much like eating. Max's words kept running through his head. Emma didn't need her psyonic powers to recognize her friend was ill at ease. "There wasn't anything for you to do Jess," she told him.  
  
"I should have known. She told me, asked me to take care of Jamie. She said if anything happened... I should have guessed something was wrong. She's not a bad person Emma, she just got screwed up. We all have, you know? I just wanted to help her."  
  
"You did help her Jesse." Emma moved closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You were a friend to her, probably the first one she's had in a while, actually I know you're the first in a while. She's been looking out for herself for a long time and I think the fact that you stayed with her scared her a little. But she appreciates it, I know she does. When she attacked Oz I could feel her. She wanted to protect Jamie, and protect you too. She knew, no matter what happened to her, you'd get Jamie out."  
  
"I almost screwed up there too. Thank God I could mass."  
  
Emma shuddered. "I don't want to think about that." His blue eyes met hers. She sighed. "I thought, just for a second, that you were going to die. It scared me more than I thought anything could. I can't lose you Jesse." She seemed surprised at the admission. Blushing, she amended, " None of us could."  
  
He stared at her for a while, absorbing this new bit of information. He rested his hand on hers, squeezing it gently. They stayed like that for a while. Then Jesse started to say something, but Brennan popped in, interrupting them. "hey guys. Adam wants to see you two."  
  
Emma and Jesse stood quickly, hurrying to catch up with Brennan. Jesse felt a new surge of panic. What if she hadn't made it? Adam was standing outside the lab, his face passive. He eyed the two new mutants. His eyes began to twinkle and his mouth quirked. "She'll be okay." They both let out a huge sigh of relief. "She's asleep now. I managed to stabilize her mutation. I'm sure you all will have a lot to talk about when she gets back on her feet."  
  
--  
  
Max and Jamie stayed at Sanctuary for another three days. Max slept, healed, while Jamie learned all about her sister, her powers. In the meantime, Adam set about creating new papers for them. He certainly didn't want Eckhart getting his hands on Max again. She would be a powerful ally, and just as powerful an enemy.  
  
On the third day they prepared to leave. Jamie went around and gave a warm hug to everyone, thanking them for their help. Max looked on, amused. She settled on handshakes for Shal and Brennan. "So what are you going to do now?" the elemental questioned.  
  
Max shrugged. "Well, we're moving, obviously. Then I want to get things settled a bit. Jamie and I have a lot of lost time to make up for. Eventually I want to help set up and run another safe house for new mutants. We need to help our own after all." He nodded in approval.  
  
Shal was next. The feral's grip was almost crushing. "In a fair fight I'd kick your ass," she joked.  
  
Max grinned and ducked her head. "Somehow I don't doubt it." She hugged Emma fiercely. "You're an incredible person Emma. You've been a good, understanding friend. And uh," she said, nodding toward Jesse, "take care of him." Emma's eyes widened. "hey, I was a pysion for while you know."  
  
She shook Adam's hand. "Looking forward to talking to you soon," he said.  
  
"Me too. And thanks."  
  
"Just remember what I told you. You still need to be careful." She nodded, holding her hands up in mock defense.  
  
She hugged Jesse the longest. "You saved my life. You saved Jamie's life. I won't forget it."  
  
"Don't you dare. And keep on touch will you?'  
  
"Absolutely. What you all do is incredible, you have to know that. And you're a team, you all look out for each other. I pity the man that dares take you on. I'll see you soon, Mutant X."  
  
The end 


End file.
